Bad Day
by whatswiththemustache
Summary: Yesterday was torture, but Merlin would be glad to take that over this. He's just having a bad day, but a lot of mishaps, aches and pains will swiftly turn out into a very dangerous situation for all of Camelot - and especially Merlin! No slash, no romance, just friendship and lol'n. Takes place S3E13-S4E1.
1. Bad Day

**Hi everybody! This is my first fan fiction to ever post here! I was planning on making this a one-shot, but it got too long, and then I had a spontaneous brainstorm session and…well, it grew. I just had to post it, despite the dangers. So let me warn you now: I can't promise that I'll update steadily. For the next couple of days, whatever I write, I'll post, but over the weekend I doubt I'll get to post anything and then in two weeks my school starts so…let's just hope I finish this whole thing before then, savvy? **

**By the way, this is not a romance fic; strictly friendship for my first go lol. **

**Please let me know what you think! The first chapter isn't very revealing but then again, it is the first chapter. I'll have the second up soon, later today! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or any of the characters from Merlin. I write this only for recreation, not for any financial gain and whatnot. **

**[This takes place between S3E13 and S4E1]**

Merlin was _really_ tired.

Yesterday was possibly the most exhausting day of his life. Arthur had dragged him out of bed (literally) long before dawn. Why? To go hunting. Merlin had lost hours of precious sleep just so that Arthur could drag Merlin off to go trekking through the woods, _the cold, wet, rainy woods_, and make futile attempts at shooting innocent animals that they didn't even_ need_ for food. _Hunting._

It would be the death of him.

Yesterday had been the most exhausting day of his life, _possibly_, because today he was even more exhausted. Why? Because _yesterday_, on that infernal hunting trip, Merlin and Arthur had more or less stumbled right into the middle of a bandit camp. (It may have been slightly Merlin's fault, as he had been deliberately making a lot of noise in hopes of scaring away the animals. Well? You couldn't blame him. He hadn't _wanted _to go on that bloody hunting trip.)

Thankfully, Arthur had caught on fast enough to save them both from the merciless bandit. However, just as they arrived at the camp, the bandit leader sent out sentries to keep watch. So Merlin and Arthur had had to hide in the bushes. For _hours_. The bandits seemed quite comfy at their camp, and they took their sweet time packing up and leaving. By the time they _finally_ did, it was late afternoon (Why the heck were the bandits traveling in the dark instead of sleeping at night, and moving in the day? It was just Merlin's luck to have them run into a nocturnal group of bandits.) and Merlin's back was _killing_ him.

_Then_, Arthur decided that they needed to hurry back to Camelot (which was a good hour's walk away) so they could inform the patrol of the bandits. So as they rushed back, they ran into one of the _bandit's _patrols. Could Merlin's day get any better? Thankfully, it was a small patrol; only six men who were poor fighters at that. Arthur had bested them (with Merlin's discreet help), but not before one of the bandits had clobbered Merlin on the head with a huge branch. When all the bandits had been dispatched, Arthur simply glanced at Merlin to make sure he was still standing and continued on his merry way.

Merlin was _so_ done with hunting. Not that Arthur would care.

Now, Merlin had to drag himself out of bed at dawn to do his duties as Prince Prat's manservant. His head was throbbing from that log, and he ached all over from lying in a thorny bush for so long. Grumbling, he stumbled out of his room and through Gaius' workroom. Gaius was still asleep, snoring slightly. Merlin glanced his way in envy before continuing on his way to the kitchens.

He was really, _really_ tired.

* * *

Arthur woke to Merlin's voice grumbling at him. "Get up already, Arthur! You don't get to sleep."

Arthur opened his eyes blearily. "I can do whatever I want, _Mer_lin. I am the prince of Camelot," He said sleepily, climbing out of bed despite his dismissing words. Sure, he was the prince, but that didn't mean he didn't have a job to do. He couldn't just lie around all day, like a certain servant he knew.

Arthur waited for the snarky comment on his position to come from Merlin, but he was met with silence. Really? Merlin was actually going to try and act like a proper servant for once?

He watched as Merlin stumbled about Arthur's chambers, taking clothes from the wardrobe for him, setting up his breakfast, and doing other chores, all in silence. Then Arthur noticed that Merlin had leaves of lettuce stuck in his hair, and the back of his tunic seemed to have a squashed egg dripped down from it. He raised an eyebrow.

"Merlin….why are you covered in food?"

Merlin turned around slowly, an exasperated look on his face. "Because I'm having a _really _bad day." He pulled his hand through his hair wearily before yanking it away with a look of disgust on his face. His hand was now covered in raw eggs and his hair had yellow streaks in it.

Arthur was trying, he really was. But he couldn't help bursting out in badly suppressed laughter. "Merlin," he gasped with a grin on his face. "I'm sorry, but you look utterly ridiculous."

Merlin's rolled his eyes and turned away, stalking out of Arthur's chambers with the dirty laundry.

"Merlin -!" Arthur called. What was wrong with him?

* * *

By midday, Merlin knew. He was doomed to have the worst day, _ever_. He couldn't go three steps without dropping something, bumping into something, or knocking someone down. He had already tripped three knights, two servants, and Gwen, who had seemed to think it was her fault. And after the incident with the Cook, he smelled like rotten eggs. At least he didn't_ look_ like them anymore, but that wasn't enough to lift his spirits.

He had finally finished polishing Arthur's armor and cleaning his chambers, and now he was finally arriving back at the physician's chambers. He hadn't gotten to eat any breakfast that morning due to his many mishaps and their consequences; he was starving. As he entered Gaius' workrooms, he thought he heard a rustling sound inside.

"Gaius?" Merlin called, but no reply came. The young warlock found the room empty. Brow furrowed, he wandered over to the table and saw a note lying on it.

_Merlin – I am needed in the lower town due to a bad bout of flu. I would greatly appreciate it if you could do my rounds today. -Gaius _

Merlin groaned. _More _work? He should have expected it. In fact, he should be preparing for an all-out attack on Camelot, a couple of sorcerous princesses intent on putting Arthur under enchantment, and how about a few psychotic goblins released in the castle to boot? This day, Merlin could see, was not planning on getting any better.

Beneath Gaius' words was a list of who needed what and why. Merlin sighed in resignation as he glared at the hoard of little corked potions. After sparing a quick glance at the door behind him, shut tight, his eyes burned gold as the bottles lifted from the table as one, gently settling into the bag Gaius used to carry his remedies around. The bag flipped closed and clasped itself at Merlin's whispered words.

"_Ryse at ei gilydd, yn agos, gloi_."

As he turned for the door, he failed to notice that the door to his room was slowly drifting closed.

***drumroll* Aaaand Merlin's in for a much worse day than this, I assure you. Sorry this was so short, but I felt it was a good place to end it. Second chapter should be up later today. xD Please review! **


	2. Bottles

**'Lo again! So as you know, this is my first fic and I was getting a little panicky cause I can't find this story if I look under Merlin fics, recently updated…so if you could when you read this, can you just tell me that you did find it there? Cause I can see the views and all but that don't convince me. Yeah I feel pretty stupid about this but oh well, I'm new. **

**Anyway! Hope you enjoy Chapter 2, where *drumroll please* the plot thickens! Bwahahahaha! (Oh and Merlin's going to be grumpy for a bit here. You see, he's really tired and his head hurts and….yeah, I enjoy writing grumpy!Merlin. But hey – if you want some happy Merlin, just say so.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or any of the characters from Merlin. I write this only for recreation, not for any financial gain, so don't go suing me. K? **

How many bottles were _in_ this bloody bag? Merlin wondered as he trudged up to another door, which was owned by _another_ noble, who was in apparently _desperate_ need of this bloody remedy. The tiny bottle, filled with an aqua-colored liquid, had a tag that said…'moisturizing skin'.

Merlin grumpily knocked on the door and waited patiently (or decidedly impatiently) for someone to open it. When, _finally_, a blonde maid opened it, Merlin shoved the bottle at here, mumbling, "Lady Ellen's skin tonic…"

_So, I'm wasting all my time and energy just because some high and mighty nobles have_ skin problems_?_ Merlin fumed as he stomped down yet _another_ staircase, to yet _another_ door…

Seemingly hours later, Merlin had just one bottle left: King Uther's pain reliever, for his old shoulder wound. This was the delivery that Merlin was the most anxious about. He tried to stay out of Uther's way as much as possible – the king was still pretty broken after Morgana's betrayal, and he and Merlin did have a pretty bumpy track record. But this was inevitable; however much Merlin disliked it, he wasn't about to make Gaius do it. He'd never be so selfish after all Gaius had done for him. Plus, Gaius had been hinting about the leech tank recently and that was the last thing Merlin needed today…

Merlin reached Uther's chambers and knocked, slightly apprehensive. Here goes nothing…

When Uther's manservant opened the door, Merlin was relieved to see that his face was relatively calm, not the harried and hassled face of a servant dealing with Uther on a bad day.

"I'm here to deliver the King's pain reliever – Gaius is in the lower town…" Merlin said formally, not willing to trust that maybe, just maybe, this day wouldn't end with Uther screaming for Merlin's head.

The servant took the bottle and thanked Merlin, then shut the door. Merlin stood there for a moment, almost not daring to move. Finally – he was free. Well, relatively free. He still had to collect Arthur's laundry, muck out his stables, and who knew what else…

* * *

What was on Arthur's mind as he walked down an empty corridor to his chambers? Unsurprisingly, it was the whereabouts of his useless servant. The whereabouts that he didn't know, as Merlin had magically disappeared again – or, to be more specific, _as usual_. Arthur had suspicions about the tavern, but first he would check around the castle.

As Arthur rounded the corner, he caught a brief sight of a dark face with a halo of fly-away, black hair surrounding it before collision. He stumbled and caught Gwen before she could trip over his feet.

"Guinevere!" Arthur tried, and failed, to disguise his overly obvious pleasure at seeing Gwen. With Uther so easily angered after Morgana's betrayal, and that incident when Gwen was almost banished and then executed, they had to be extra careful to hide their…affections.

"Oh,_ Arthur _– I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going," Gwen exclaimed, standing up unsteadily. Arthur saw that the corridor floor was now strewn with linens that Gwen had been carrying along. She insisted to continue on as a servant, even though her position had officially been lifted to 'Lady', with her brother becoming a knight and all. "Oh, I am sorry, I just seem to have my head in the clouds today –"

Arthur decided that it would be best for everyone if he stopped Gwen's rambling before she could get started. "Gwen, it's fine. Really." He smiled warmly at her, and she returned it, her face lighting up.

"Actually, Guinevere," Arthur commented as he helped her gather up the fallen laundry, "I could use your help. Have you any idea where Merlin is? He's gone and done a disappearing act on me again."

Gwen opened her mouth to answer when they both heard footsteps approaching from around the corner. Arthur jumped up, not wanting to be seen with Gwen, just as Merlin came around the corner.

"Ah – yes, actually," Gwen said wryly as Arthur whirled to face Merlin. He looked very annoyed about something, with his hair ruffled as if he had been running his hands through it a lot. His normally cheerful face wrinkled into an even deeper frown.

"Let me guess," Merlin said, in a 'hundred percent done with tourists' voice. He didn't stop, instead continuing on down the corridor past Arthur and Gwen. "You have a whole new pile of chores for me to do, right? Just so that I won't be burdened with a single minute of spare time, yes?"

Arthur stared, bewildered, after Merlin, while Gwen gaped at his uncharacteristic outburst. "What is _wrong_ with you today?"

Merlin spun around, presumably to tell him just what, when his jaw dropped. He seemed to be listening to something; he stood frozen, eyes wandering unfocused over Arthur and Gwen's faces.

For a moment they just stood there: Arthur and Gwen gaping at Merlin, and Merlin gaping at the wall. Finally Merlin snapped out of it. "Oh! Right! Yes!" He exclaimed, glancing at Arthur and Gwen, obviously trying to disguise the growing panic and confusion etched onto his face. "Right! Arthur!…I gotta go!"

And with that Merlin turned on heel and dashed down the hallway and out of sight.

Arthur and Gwen turned to look at each other, identical expressions on their faces. "What is _wrong _with him today?"

* * *

Merlin jogged down a few more corridors before slowing to a swift walk, just barely avoiding a collision half a dozen times. The last thing he needed now was Arthur pestering him. He tried to swallow down his panic, tried to figure out what just happened.

_Emrys… I await your presence, in your chambers. I mean you no harm…but do hurry. _While standing in the middle of a corridor, Arthur and Gwen staring at him, he had suddenly heard a voice murmuring through his voice had faded from his mind slowly, seeming to echo about his head. _Emrys…_it had to be a druid.

What was a druid doing in Gaius' chambers? What was a druid doing in _Camelot_?

_You're about to find that out, if you're actually going to just go barging in._ Merlin thought to himself, but immediately dismissed the option of not going. Merlin thought of what the druid said: _…but do hurry. _What that mean? Merlin did not feel very warm towards cryptic messages.

Merlin shook his head slightly, quickening his pace. He concentrated on Gaius' chambers and projected his thought in that direction, hoping that the druid would hear: _I am coming._

When Merlin strode up to the worn door that was the physician's chambers, he had to hesitate. This whole thing spelled trap…_no turning back now_, Merlin thought, hardening his resolve.

He opened the door slowly to see a cloaked figure standing by the stairs that led to Merlin's own chambers. It lifted its head slowly to look at him. Merlin slowly pushed the door closed behind him, and murmured, _"Selio." _He heard the door click as it magically locked.

For a moment, they just stared at each other. Merlin broke the silence, his voice low but clear.

"Why are you here?"

The druid slowly lifted his hands to lower the cloak's hood; below, his face was weathered and worn, but Merlin could see the kindness in his eyes. Merlin didn't let his guard down, though; whatever this man wanted here, it couldn't be just

"I am here…to talk to you, to see you." The man said slowly. "To warn you."

Merlin stiffened. "You're a druid." Merlin didn't pose it as a question, but the man took it as one.

"Me? No. I," he laughed, without humor, "I am far from a druid."

"Then how do you know me?"

The man looked him over. "I have kept the company of druids. Heard their stories…"

Merlin frowned. "So what is it you wish to warn me about?"

The man smiled sadly. "Today, someone else came to Camelot. Someone," he sighed, "who also kept the company of druids, and heard their stories. She was…very disappointed."

Merlin felt like rolling his eyes. Another sorcerer disappointed in him? Figures. "Disappointed in me?"

"…Yes. She…well, I can't deny that she is foolish at times, quick-tempered and impulsive. My daughter," The man looked down at his hands. "She is also very powerful – her magic is stronger than most. No match for yours, but enough to cause a good amount of trouble. She thinks…oh, I don't know what she thinks. She is young and foolish, but well taught and knows how to cause trouble. I'm afraid that she has placed many enchantments upon this place. I don't know what or where," he quickly said at Merlin's growing anger. "But I felt obliged to warn you. She knows what she is doing. So...be wary. I fear that you may have a few trying days ahead, in your mission of protecting Camelot and the…Pendragons."

Merlin could see the slight disapproval in his eyes at the name. But it didn't seem like the man was very set against him. "And what about you?"

He shifted, almost guiltily. "I would never bring you any harm. I…you were almost right. I was once a druid. No longer, but I believed the prophecies. I still do. It just saddens me that I could not raise my daughter to do the same. Now…I must go. This is a dangerous place for me, druid or not."

Merlin smiled. "Will you be alright leaving?" Merlin asked, deciding that he could trust this man.

He nodded. "I got in fine; I can leave as well. Goodbye, Emrys," he murmured, "and good luck."

"Goodbye…" Merlin said, deciding not to ask the former druid's name. He obviously did not want to tie himself to Camelot too much. "And – could you do me a favor? Keep your daughter away from Camelot."

With one last rueful smile, the man walked hurriedly from the room, allowing the door to swing closed slowly behind him.

Sighing, Merlin collapsed into a chair. More trouble. Well, he couldn't say he hadn't expected it.

What kind of 'enchantments' had this sorceress placed around Camelot? Were they harmful? When would they begin to take effect?

And to ask the more important question,_ When_ would this day be over?

**There you go – Chapter 2! Yeah so, the villain here is really just an excuse to write about…well, what's coming. Really just a silly ole' plot that's more about ****_what _****happens then ****_why_****. **

**Next Chapter (I should update later tonight): All of Camelot goes slightly crazy, and Merlin is the only one who seems to notice. **

**So! Please review, tell me if you like it! :D**


	3. Magical Maladies

**Hi guys! New chapter so let's go for a cheer yeah? **

**I hope that everyone is enjoying; I certainly am enjoying writing this. So, here come some of the more magical mishaps that Merlin's in for! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or any of the characters from Merlin. I write this only for fun and in hopes that someone will enjoy this as much as I do, and believe me, there's no financial gain coming from this. **

* * *

It had to be just around the corner.

Arthur jogged round into the next corridor, biting back a curse when he saw it was empty.

Where was it? Where was that sound _coming_ from?

He turned and glared back up the way he had come. He started when he heard the same sound again; that jangling noise, like _armor_. But it couldn't be, because he had just come that way. How the heck had he just _walked past_ whoever was making that noise?

Arthur strode back up the corridor, calling out again. "Hello? Who's there?"

He reached the crossing of that corridor and the one perpendicular to it. There was no one…not forward, not right, not left…

Arthur jumped a foot in the air when the noise seemed to sound right behind his ear. Behind him?

And…nobody was there.

"This is getting ridiculous," Arthur muttered. He lifted a hand to scratch his head, utterly baffled.

"Arthur?"

Arthur leaped into the air again, heart racing, and whirled to see Merlin standing there with an innocent expression on his face. Arthur gaped at him.

"Hi, Arthur," said Merlin, his voice overly innocent and politely concerned. "I hope I didn't scare you," he added with a tiny and poorly concealed grin.

Arthur waved his finger at Merlin, momentarily speechless. "…don't be ridiculous," Arthur scoffed. "I was just searching for this…noise…"

Merlin's ears nearly perked up at this, the 'of _course_ I didn't do anything' face back on. "Oh really? I'm sure it's just your imagination," rushed Merlin, innocent voice all over again. Arthur sighed in exasperation.

"What did you do this time, _Mer_lin?"

Merlin gave him a wide-eyed look, tilting his head. "Me?"

"Yes, Merlin, _you_; you're the worst liar in all of Camelot and I _know_ this is your doing." Arthur looked expectantly at Merlin for a long moment, and when it became apparent that Merlin was not telling, he just sighed and turned to stride away towards the courtyard.

"Just fix it, Merlin," Arthur called back, hoping that whatever Merlin had done this time, it wouldn't end with Merlin in any serious trouble.

* * *

**[Some time previously…] **

Merlin sat still, hoping that he could maybe, just _maybe_, have a few seconds peace.

Two seconds into Merlin's reprieve, he heard two sets of hurried footsteps pounding up to Gaius' door. The door abruptly burst open, revealing a very furious noble, maidservant in tow. He recognized her as one of the Ladies he had delivered Gaius' prescription to. The Lady in question, Lady Reanna, didn't look much like she had when Merlin had seen her earlier today. Then, she had been everything any respectable Lady of Camelot should be – elegant, refined, and certainly pretty. Now…well, Merlin couldn't truthfully say that she was any of those things.

The Lady was wearing a long-sleeved cloak, but that didn't cover up the skin on her face or hands. Her skin was red all over, looking raw and scratched. Peppered across her face and hands were clusters of angry purple boils, some no larger than a goose bump, and some – that is to say, most of them – much larger. Merlin gaped at her, wondering why these things _always_ happened to him.

Lady Reanna's maid shrank back next to the door, seeming to fold herself in. Obviously Reanna had been taking out her anger on anyone in the vicinity.

"Milady?" Merlin gasped, jumping up from his seat. She noticed, however.

"How _dare _you just lounge around while I am in need of assistance, you useless servant?" Reanna screeched, her voice raw from screaming. "Where is Gaius, boy?"

"I – um – he's in the lower town milady, there's been a bout of – " Merlin stuttered, staring at her obviously magical malady, but Reanna interrupted him.

"I don't _care_ what ails the lower town, boy; do I look like a peasant to you?" Reanna glanced down at herself and seemed to regret that question. "Why are you just standing there, you fool? You're the physician's apprentice, are you not? You," Reanna turned to glare at her maidservant, who literally jumped to attentiveness. "Go to the lower town; find Gaius. Hurry!"

The maid nodded after a beat and bent to curtsy, but jumped and scurried out the door at Reanna's ever-sounding voice. "GO, this isn't a leisurely visit to chat, this is an _emergency_!" Merlin gulped. Reanna wasn't someone he really wanted to be stuck alone with.

Reanna turned back to Merlin with a snarl. "Now – _do_ something about this!"

Merlin, eyes wide, turned to stare at Gaius' worktable. A stack of books of anatomy, a cluster of empty bottles, a measuring scale weighing a blue powder against a few copper weights. What now?

Reanna didn't leave him in silence long. "_Well_?" Merlin turned around, mouth open and unable to think of something to say. Thankfully, he didn't have to; the door to Gaius' chambers burst open yet again to admit Gaius and a very relieved-looking maid. It seemed that they had run into each other between here and the lower town.

"Lady Reanna? Your maid tells me you require my immediate assistance…" Gaius drifted to a stop as he noticed Reanna's skin problem. "Oh." He raised his eyebrow at Reanna, and then looked past her to glare suspiciously at Merlin.

"Gaius – you simply must do something about this! I don't understand where it could have come from – some kind of disease? Is it fatal? Can you cure it?..." Gaius managed to stifle Reanna's unending moaning and groaning by telling her that the sooner he got to work, the sooner he could cure her.

Meanwhile Merlin was thinking back to earlier today, when he had first went to gather Gaius' prescriptions to deliver. He remembered thinking that Gaius had been inside the room. He had heard a rustling sound, like fabric shifting…someone had been inside. It hadn't been Gaius, or anyone else from Camelot for that matter; they wouldn't have hidden. It couldn't have been the man that had come to warn him today; he wouldn't have hidden either, as he had wanted to talk to Merlin, not hide from him. There was no other option: it had been the man's daughter, intent on taking her revenge on Merlin.

Merlin frowned. So the girl had put enchantments on the bottles? Merlin couldn't see the effectiveness of this in bringing about the fall of Camelot, unless all that she wanted was to get Merlin in trouble with the king.

_The king_…Merlin thought in dawning horror. Yes, it actually could be pretty effective in bringing about the downfall of Camelot. One of those bottles had been the king's pain reliever.

_Maybe she didn't enchant them all_, Merlin thought frantically, watching as Gaius patiently ushering the Lady Reanna out of his chambers.

Gaius finally got Reanna and her maid out of the room and shut the door in exasperation. He turned to Merlin, giving him what Merlin tended to call The Eyebrow of Doom. "What have you _done_, Merlin?"

"I didn't do anything," Merlin assured him, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. "But I know who did, and why…and we're in trouble."

* * *

After telling Gaius exactly what the not-druid man had told Merlin, Gaius had gone to collect the bottle that Reanna's hair tonic (for that was what her prescription had been for) had resided in, to hopefully decipher exactly what the enchantment had been so that it could be reversed. Before departing, however, Gaius had left Merlin with instructions.

"You'll have to find out exactly what else this girl has enchanted and keep anyone from noticing anything odd," instructed Gaius, giving Merlin an appraising look. "You can't let anyone notice anything. Otherwise, Uther will be sure to organize an all-out witch hunt. And for all our sakes, Merlin, be _careful_!"

So Merlin was now carefully creeping around the castle, peering around corners in hopes of catching sight of whatever enchantments he would find before anyone else did. The first odd thing he saw was Arthur walking back and forth along a corridor, calling out to nobody. The bigger problem was a glittery cloud of gold floating around after Arthur, just behind him and where he couldn't see it. Merlin hoped that it was only visible to him, as he had magic, but he really doubted that he would have that kind of luck. Not today.

Merlin creeped up behind Arthur, where he was standing at the cross-section of two corridors, staring down the way he had just come. "This is getting ridiculous," Merlin heard him mutter to himself. Merlin really had to get his attention from…whatever the enchantment was doing to Arthur.

"Arthur?" Merlin piped up loudly, trying to sound nonchalant.

Merlin had to stifle a snigger as Arthur jumped into the air like a cat spooked by its own shadow.

"Hi, Arthur," Merlin said, trying to hide his grin. "I hope I didn't scare you," he added on second thought; maybe if he got Arthur flustered, he would leave sooner rather than try to drag Merlin off somewhere.

Arthur opened his mouth but was silent for a moment. "…don't be ridiculous." He said, back on full throttle with his Prince Prat voice. "I was just searching for this…noise…"

"Oh really?" Merlin said hurriedly. "I'm sure it's just your imagination…"

"What did you do this time, _Mer_lin?" Arthur asked him with an air of superiority.

"Me?" Why did Arthur always blame Merlin for _everything, _no matter how impossible it would be for it to be his fault?

"Yes, Merlin, _you_; you're the worst liar in all of Camelot and I _know_ this is your doing."

Merlin stayed silent in what he hoped Arthur would take as confirmation. The sooner Arthur left, the better. Finally he turned and walked back up the corridor. "Just fix it, Merlin…"

_Will do_, Merlin thought with relief as he watched Arthur walk out of sight. The cloud of gold mist tried to follow him, but Merlin stopped it.

"_Cynnal dawel_," Merlin whispered, watching as the cloud constricted in the grip of his magic, raw power.

Now how to get rid of it? Merlin willed his magic to tighten its hold on the cloud, but all it did was become more concentrated. Now it looked more threatening, a swirling storm of metallic gold.

Merlin sighed. "Oh come _on_," Merlin muttered. As if he had all day to waste away, playing with this ball of magical menace. "_Gwasgariad y pŵer, datod!_" Merlin watched with satisfaction as the gold cloud spread as if being inflated until it dissipated in the air.

_One down, and who knows how many to go…_

* * *

**And on that ominous note, we must conclude tonight's chapter. LOL**

**So…will the sorceress' enchantments continue on this relatively harmless level? Or will it grow into something more sinister? And has Uther's pain reliever been enchanted…or worse? Only time will tell! xD**

**I may update tomorrow morning, but as it's Friday I'll be on a bit more wobbly of a schedule. Don't worry though, I'll DEFINETLY update within a week (and probably sooner than that). **

**I also wanted to say, I read about the Eyebrow of Doom in another Merlin fan fiction, although I can't remember where. So, if the inventor of the Eyebrow of Doom happens to read this, then know that I am disclaiming this particular bit of story and want to give you a big ole' high five on choosing the perfect title for Gaius' eyebrow thing LOL 3.**

**I hope you enjoyed this, and please review! Let me know what you think! Positive and negative are both appreciated! :D **


	4. Bad Eggs

**Good Morning everybody! Here's your next chapter, hope you enjoy! And I'd like to say thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited or followed! Thanks so much! It means a lot :D**

**Now before I go, I just want to say that as soon as you're done reading this, you simply MUST go and read the story Bad Timing. It's by ValkyrieVeela. It's a one shot, it's short, and it's possibly the most hilarious story I have ever read. So be sure! Read it! Just….right after this!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or any of the characters from Merlin (it's BBC's. I don't think you could get it if you wrestled it from their very hands). I write this only for recreation, not for any financial gain. NOT. MINE. ALREADY.**

* * *

Gwen was standing at the top the staircase that from the courtyard to the throne room. She hadn't moved for a while, staring bewildered at the landing in front of her. Every few seconds she would see Merlin barrel past her one way down the hall.

Then he would come running back up from the way he had just gone.

Then he would go back, and then he would come back…

It had been going on for a few minutes when Merlin skittered to a stop on the landing, his hands on his head in a gesture of frustration. He looked back and forth between the right and left passages, apparently not noticing Gwen standing there.

Gwen watched as he finally settled on the left corridor, just looking for a moment as he seemed to brace himself against something. Then finally he muttered something and strode off to the right.

Had he just said, "Need to find those toads"?

After a moment Gwen crept up to stand where Merlin had, looking down both passages – which were both empty.

What was _wrong _with Merlin today?

* * *

The drapes in the East Wing had been trying to convince passerby to climb out the window.

A lone pair of boots had been wandering around near the kitchens.

The men guarding the dungeons had been replaced with _toads._

Merlin had heard a rumor that all of the Cook's eggs had been switched with rocks. Maybe he could let that one pass. Maybe the blame wouldn't land on him anyway?

Yeah. _Right. _

The corridor leading to the throne room had been turned a vivid shade of purple. (That one had taken a lot of explaining.) The latest patrol that had been about to depart were carrying wooden shields. (That one had been tricky.) Lady Reanna's wardrobe had been emptied of all her expensive gowns, filled instead with chainmail. (Merlin had barely gotten away with his life.)

All this had left Merlin exhausted and utterly baffled. He didn't understand at all. These enchantments were bothersome, yes; exhausting for Merlin to fix, _yes_; but hardly threatening the entire kingdom. They were no more than bothersome pranks.

So, Merlin had come to several conclusions: This sorceress was either a) utterly _horrible_ at doing magic, or b) had a very warped idea of how to destroy a kingdom. He had also concluded that by the end of this day, every single person in this castle would be under the impression that there was _really_ something wrong with Merlin. Oh yes, and one more thing: This day was simply never going to end, was it?

Merlin extended his magic, trying to let it envelope the whole castle, allowing his senses to open up. Finally he seemed to feel something somewhere around the armory.

_Armory?_ Merlin wished he could just fall over and let today steamroller straight over him. _Yes, the armory is just the _perfect_ place to have an enchantment on it. _Merlin closed his eyes as he stumbled down the hallway on the way to the armory, scrubbing his face with his hands.

Suddenly he went from walking down the hall to lying on the ground with an aching head for the second time in two days, with no idea of what had happened. That is, until he looked up. Then he got a pretty clear idea.

The whole length of the hallway was green. It was covered in vines and leaves like ivy, growing up from the floor over the walls and crisscrossing on the ceiling. Vines dangled everywhere, and they didn't look particularly friendly. The vines hanging more than a few feet away were all waving and twisting as if in a strong wind. A strong wind that Merlin couldn't feel, and that Merlin was pretty certain wasn't a wind at all.

Closer to Merlin, however, the vines were lashing and straining towards him, with one already wrapped tightly around his ankle. As Merlin watched, three more of the thick emerald ropes twisted around his leg tighter and tighter.

"Oh, no," mumbled Merlin as he tried to stagger to his feet, only to get yanked down again, banging his head against the wall.

_Why_ was everything and everyone in all of Camelot intent on making Merlin's head hurt?

"_Rhyddhau!_" cried Merlin. Aaaand…nothing happened.

"What? No, come on," Merlin braced himself against the wall to keep himself from getting even more entangled. This reminded him too much of the Labyrinth of Gedref for his liking. "_Dorri'r rhaff_!"

Thankfully, this time Merlin's spell worked; the three thick vines fell to the floor, obviously dead as they swiftly yellowed, becoming dry and brittle. It only seemed to anger the rest, though; they all began to lash around like fish out of water.

Merlin got shakily to his feet, trying to think of a spell to use against this threat. Out of the corner of his eye he saw another vine whip out to grab him. Eyes flashing gold, he slowed time instinctually and backed up out of the corridor, where the vines thinned and eventually gave way to the stone surfaces.

"Merlin?"

Merlin turned, just about ready to start pulling his hair out. He sighed in relief when he saw it was only Gaius.

"Merlin, I've found out how you can reverse the spell on – " Gaius cut himself short as he came to stand beside Merlin, staring down the green tunnel that used to be a perfectly normal, non-magical corridor of Camelot. "This is worse than we thought, isn't it?"

* * *

When Merlin had _finally _dispatched all those horrid vines, he continued on his journey to the armory. He wouldn't really be surprised if he never made it; he'd probably get caught up in some murderous laundry or something. So, he was very surprised when he actually made it unscathed to the armory door.

Pulling the door open, Merlin nearly got his head chopped off as he stepped inside.

Floating before Merlin was a gleaming sword, pointing towards him as if someone was holding it. An invisible somebody. Abruptly it swung at Merlin, and he lifted his hand quickly, raising a magical barrier to block it.

The sword bounced back, and then lunged forward again, thrusting itself at Merlin's head. Merlin would've used his magic again, except he heard someone coming from behind him. He quickly jumped out of the armory and flung himself against the door to close it. The sword clanged against the door but didn't go through it, thankfully. It was probably enchanted to stay in the armory.

From around the corner emerged Gwaine, a cocky grin forever on his face. He smiled wider at Merlin.

"Ah, Merlin, where've you been all day?" said Gwaine loudly, switching swiftly to a stage whisper. "Nice work with those eggs."

Merlin gaped at him for a moment. Eggs? Oh right, the Cook. _Oh._

"I had _nothing_ to do with that, Gwaine," said Merlin hastily, blocking him as Gwaine tried to reach for the door. "You can't do in there – "

Gwaine paused, taking a step back to look at Merlin, confused. "Knight of Camelot, remember?" He said after a moment.

"Yes. No. You still can't," Merlin rushed. "There's…um…rats. Big. Very big rats."

Gwaine stared at him for a second, his confusion only deepening. "Merlin…I hardly think that _rats_ pose any threat against _me_." He laughed, shaking his shaggy head. "So what did you do this time?"

Merlin stared at him blankly. "Me?" Did _everyone_ in Camelot always assume that whatever the problem was, Merlin did it?

Gwaine gave him a knowing look. "You can trust me, you know. I won't tell the Princess," he said, eyes twinkling. Merlin opened his mouth and closed it again, not knowing which way to turn. Thankfully Gwaine didn't try to press him. "Okay, okay," he said, turning away with a grin. "But you owe me."

Merlin relaxed as Gwaine walked away, sliding down the door a bit. Thank goodness. That had to be the only bit of good luck he'd had all day – normally, Gwaine wouldn't let this go so easily.

He slowly pushed the door open, and immediately let his magic restrain the sword, still glinting dangerously where it levitated above the floor. Eyes flashing, the sword crumpled under the pressure Merlin was putting it under, twisting it into a pretzel shape. It dropped to the floor with a dull plunk; the enchantment was broken.

Merlin let out a sigh of relief, hiding the ruined sword under a pile of blankets. At the moment, he didn't care if anyone found it. He was too busy as it was.

As he strolled out of the armory, pleased that he was at least making progress, when the alarm bell started toiling loudly. Merlin could practically feel himself deflating.

As a group of guards ran hurriedly past him, he caught a few words of what they were saying:

"…the problem?"

"The king has gone missing!..."

Merlin stared after them for a moment, and then slapping himself in the forehead, started trudging after them, grumbling to himself. _I should have bloody _known_._

* * *

**So there you go! It seems that the sorceress ****_has_**** done something to the king! Now we just need to know ****_what._**

**Anyway, in the next chapter, I'm going to let one of the characters know about Merlin's magic. I know, it's not in the description…but I had a late-night brainstorm LOL. If you don't want that though, just say so…in your review! But if there are no objections, I will let either Gwen or Gwaine find out. Probably Gwaine, but that depends. Tell me what you think! **

**I will probably be updating later this afternoon, but remember – reviews make me type faster! :D LOL ~whatswiththemustache**


	5. Toads

**Hi guys! I'm so sorry that I am so late; I've had a pretty busy day…*crosses fingers* So please forgive me! Everyone wanted Gwaine to be let in on the secret (I did too) so here we go!**

**Firstly I want to send out a big ole' thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorite, or followed. It means a lot! Thanks so much! But I also want to just say thanks to everyone who reads this, period. I have tons of hits (near 700! *squeals* Yes, in case you wanted to know I just died and went to Fanfiction heaven.) and more reviews, favs and follows than I ever expected. So thanks! You all deserve a hug. :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin, or any of the characters from Merlin. It all belongs to BBC. I write this for fun, and do you really think that I earn anything except for a pair of sore ears from this? (About the ears – yeah I can explain that.) **

* * *

Arthur was going over the latest report when the alarm bells started ringing as if they were stationed right outside his window – loudly. He jumped up from his seat with his quill still in his hand and ran to his chamber's door. As he flung it open he stopped for a moment to stare at the writing utensil in his hand, thinking of putting it down somewhere.

The bells toiled again, seeming to vibrate within Arthur's own head. He let out an exasperated sigh and tossed the quill into the air; _why_ was he still just standing there?

Arthur stopped a couple of guards jogging off somewhere on his way to throne room. "Guards? What's wrong, why are the alarms ringing?"

The guards didn't hesitate to answer him. "The King is missing, sire."

Arthur stared at the two in shock, trying to gather his scattered thoughts_. No, not today, not now_. He didn't bother to dismiss the men; he simply turned and tore down the halls towards his father's chambers. _Why_ did this always have to happen? Not even six months had passed since Morgana's betrayal. Couldn't Camelot get a break?

Arthur reached the King's chambers to find the double doors wide open, several guards standing outside uneasily and about half a dozen men inside, along with three of the knights – Sir Leon, Percival and Lancelot. Everyone wore a grave look on their face. They all turned to look at Arthur as he strode swiftly into the room.

"What happened?" asked Arthur sharply, taking in Leon's crinkled brow at Arthur's frantic tone. Arthur winced internally; he had to sound strong and in control, not like a scared little boy. "Leon, report," he added, steeling his voice.

"The King was in his chambers since after midday," said Leon firmly. "His manservant was present until roughly an hour after that. When his servant left, Uther was still present. However since then, he has not been seen. He did not leave the room through either door; the guards were alert throughout their whole shift." Leon grimaced. "He's simply gone. The windows were closed, but unlocked." Leon paused, seeming to be unwilling to conclude what the evidence was pointing at.

Arthur stared fixedly at a little spot on the floor. _Damn it, there's no other explanation…_

"You mean to say that he has been abducted," Arthur said outright, not wanting to beat around the bush.

Leon looked defeated. "It does seem to be the only explanation…"

Arthur closed his eyes a moment, breathing deeply. Finally he nodded, straightening. "Right. Okay. Leon…take out a patrol and search the lower town, and then after coming back to report, the outskirts of the city. Percival, you take…" Arthur gave out orders swiftly, not allowing himself to think. _Just do your job. _

When everyone had something to do, somewhere to go, Arthur was the last one to leave. He turned for one last look, wishing for a miracle, but the room was empty.

Empty…almost. Arthur raised his head, nose wrinkled, as he met eyes with a fat toad sitting beside Uther's bed. They stared at each other for a moment until Arthur started and turned to go, brow still furrowed in bewilderment. That was odd.

* * *

Merlin would not be surprised.

Nope, not today; today nothing could surprise him.

Merlin hadn't even made it out of the courtyard before he was kidnapped by a wheelbarrow. It had barreled out of a dark corner from behind him, knocking his knees forward and plowing ahead, Merlin sprawled unceremoniously in it. It had raced down an alley and nearly crashed straight into a wall before Merlin could slow it.

_Almost_. Merlin had escaped the deadly power of the wheelbarrow with, once again, an aching head from where he had cracked it against the cobblestone street.

Merlin finally reached the steps leading into the castle to nearly get swept back down again as over a dozen guards, Leon, Percival, Lancelot and Arthur came flooding out. When he stopped to let them pass, Arthur glanced his way, no humor in his eyes. Merlin watched him go, seeing this as confirmation. Normally, Arthur wouldn't have missed this chance to berate Merlin about 'just standing around'. Uther was definitely missing.

"Why do these things always happen to _me_…?" Merlin groaned to himself, pushing off the banister and continuing up the steps. He jumped when someone clapped a hand to his shoulder.

"Why do what things always happen to you?" Gwaine asked Merlin, his voice overly chipper for the occasion. "Because if you're in trouble about those eggs…"

Normally, Merlin would have been happy to see Gwaine. But this wasn't exactly a normal day. Now, all he wanted to do was undo all of these ridiculous enchantments, and then go to sleep. No, on second thought, all he wanted to do was go to sleep, period. He wished he could just ignore all this. He didn't do it; why should he get himself killed trying to fix things?

Of course, Merlin knew that he would never just ignore any problem that Camelot had, but it was nice to dream once in a while.

"No, Gwaine, it's not about the eggs," Merlin said wearily. "Shouldn't you be searching the city or something?"

Gwaine grimaced. "Nope; the Princess wants me to help search the dungeons," Gwaine rolled his eyes. "Because that's really going to make a difference."

Merlin frowned at Gwaine. "In case you haven't heard, Gwaine," said Merlin sarcastically, "Uther has gone missing. Shouldn't you be, I don't know, a little concerned? As he is your king?"

Gwaine laughed, falling into step beside Merlin as he climbed the staircase leading to Uther's chambers. "Oh, I'm sure he'll turn up somewhere," said Gwaine with his trademark grin stretched broadly across his face. "Who would want to kidnap Uther, anyway? Seriously, I'd like to see someone try. They'd probably go crazy by the end of the day, listening to him yelling at them every second."

Merlin suppressed a smile at that thought; he wasn't in the mood to be cheerful. Merlin paused at the top of the stairs, looking down at the landing below. "You know, Gwaine, I'm pretty sure the dungeons are that way," Merlin said, pointing down. Gwaine frowned at him, looking at Merlin's hand.

"Do you know, you're right," said Gwaine innocently, before laughing. "Never mind the dungeons; I'm sure they've already been searched half a dozen times." He clapped an unmoving Merlin on the back before turning to continue in the way they had been going. Merlin stood frozen for a second, mouth open in an unspoken protest. He let his head fall back limply in exasperation before jumping after Gwaine. Just what he needed, someone to come and watch as he tried to restore Uther.

"You know, Gwaine, I really think – "

"Where are you headed, anyway?" Gwaine cheerily asked, stopping for a moment to turn and flirtingly grab an apple from the plate of fruit a maid was carrying in the opposite direction, winking.

"I, um – actually, I just needed to go and finish some chores for Arthur!" Merlin said pointedly as Gwaine took a noisy bite from his apple.

"Hmm, sounds like fun," said Gwaine. "Hey, actually, I had the perfect idea for pulling a prank on Arthur…"

"Um, it's just a lot or servanty stuff, actually," hedged Merlin. "Scrubbing floors, washing windows, that sort of thing. You probably wouldn't enjoy it."

"Oh, don't worry about me, Merlin; I'm a big brave Knight of Camelot."

Teeth clenched, Merlin scrubbed his face with his hands in frustration. Oh no, don't let anything be easy for Merlin. Not a single thing. Merlin sighed. He was really not in the mood for this.

"Oh! I just remembered!" Merlin lied, trying to sound energetic. He probably ended up simply sounding bored, but he really didn't care at the moment. "I left…Arthur's clothes in the kitchens! Gotta go!" He dashed back down the hallway, catching a glance of Gwaine staring after him in confusion before he turned around the corner, reluctantly taking the long route to Uther's chambers.

Thankfully Merlin found the doors to the king's chambers unguarded. He pulled them open slowly, peering inside to find the room empty. He stepped inside, pushing the door closed until it was just open a crack.

What to do now? Merlin had no idea what had happened to Uther. He doubted that he _had_ been kidnapped; even if this disappearance was not obviously connected to all the other crazy events going on in Camelot today, Merlin had to agree with Gwaine: no one in their right mind would try to kidnap _Uther_. So...that meant that Uther had fallen victim to another of the sorceress' enchantments. What though?

Merlin walked slowly around the room, peering around corners and behind articles of furniture. He had a sneaking suspicion of what had happened – and he really wasn't sure if he wanted it to be true or not.

As Merlin was lying on his stomach to peek underneath the bed, he heard a muffled croak behind him. He froze, unsure of whether to laugh or cry. "Oh, you've _got_ to be kidding me…"

Merlin twisted around to come face to face with a large, dark green toad. Merlin gaped at it, his face breaking into an inevitable grin. This was too good to be true.

The toad seemed to glare at him, making a sound somewhere between a croak and a growl. Merlin scrambled up, crouching on his knees to stare at the toad that had to be Uther.

"You know, this is probably the single good thing that happened today," Merlin commented airily to the toad, tilting his head in a mock frown before breaking into a badly stifled snigger. His grin only widened when Uther abruptly turned and started to hop away towards the table. "Oh, don't be mad!" Merlin called after him.

Uther the toad continued hopping away, presumably to hide in shame, but Merlin wasn't about to let him get away. That would be just his luck today, to have to spend the entire night on a castle-wide search for a royal toad. Eyes flashing gold, he quietly muttered, "_Dewch yn ôl i mi_!"

The spell pulled the toad swiftly back to Merlin mid-hop. As Merlin grasped him firmly in his hand, it seemed to give him an accusing glare before starting to struggle madly. "Oh, yes, I know, I'm a sorcerer and you're going to have me executed," Merlin said teasingly. "But really, you have a lot to thank me for. And you won't remember any of this by the time I get you back to normal." Merlin held Uther up to eye level, peering at him with a frown. "Let's just hope I can."

Merlin stood up, still holding the struggling Uther tightly in his hand, and turned towards the door.

There, leaning casually against a pillar, was Gwaine.

Merlin's jaw dropped as he stood frozen for a long moment. He glanced down at Uther, hastily hiding the toad behind his back. "Hi," Merlin gasped after another long beat of silence, mentally wincing at his obvious remark. Behind his quick mask of innocence he was churning inside. This was it, this was the end; he was going to be executed, wasn't he?

Apparently Merlin hadn't been able to mask the fear in his eyes, for Gwaine frowned at him. "Come now, Merlin. What's got you so worried?"

Merlin opened his mouth and closed it again without a word; maybe Gwaine hadn't heard? Confused, he fidgeted restlessly, brow furrowed. "Um…well, I just thought – you…what are you doing here?" he finished lamely.

Gwaine raised an eyebrow, smiling. "You don't honestly think that I'm going to turn you in, do you?"

Merlin stood stock still for the longest time, eyebrows raised and mouth open at Gwaine's causual remark. Gwaine grinned at him. "Oh dear, I've broken you, haven't I?"

Behind Merlin's back, Uther the toad gave a loud croak in protest at being ignored – or was it at the fact that Arthur's manservant had magic, or because one of his knights had just accepted that without a second glance? Yeah, it was certainly just one of those days.

**Aaaand now Gwaine knows! And doesn't seem to care! Yeah you'll probably be wondering about that LOL So the way I see it, this is right after Gwaine had been knighted and he's still here pretty much only because of Merlin. So I really doubt that if he found out around this time he'd be mad. He knows Merlin too well to ever think he'd turn traitor, and on top of that is too clever to think that xD (And also cause I want this to just be a lil' ole humor fic, not a big bad reveal-and-everyone-goes-crazy fic LOL)**

**So, I really hope you enjoyed this! Please review and tell me what you think; remember, I'm pretty much writing this as we go along and if you have any suggestions, requests or anything like that, it may just get put in here xD For the next update…well, it won't be nearly as soon nas my other updates have been. Probably in a few days; most likely on Monday. Until then, goodnight and have a great weekend!**


	6. Excuses

**Hi everybody! Sorry for the wait, but I had a busy weekend so…thanks for all the reviews, favs and follows! I'm SO happy that my first story got as big a reception as it did xD!**

**But anywho…on to the story! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin, I don't own the characters of Merlin…you know, this does get a little old after a while. Don't you think that the message would carry a bit from chapters 1-5? **

* * *

It wasn't working.

Merlin glared down at his spell book, open on Gaius' work table. There was the spell, written clearly. There was the inscription: 'To restore to one's true form.'

There was Uther the toad, sitting rather disgruntledly in front of the book. Gwaine was sitting across from Merlin, hands clamped down firmly on Uther. The toad had already tried to escape twice; Merlin had caught him easily but still, having the king continuously burrowing beneath the bookcase was an inhibitor that Merlin really didn't need.

Gwaine was watching Merlin with slightly glazed eyes, a sign of just how long they'd been sitting there. Merlin really didn't know, but it certainly felt like a long time. When they had first gotten to Gaius' chambers (which were empty, thankfully), Gwaine had been the very image of excitement. He had been _very_ eager to see Merlin do magic, along with a million other things that he had managed to tune out.

That is, Gwaine had been very excited – until Merlin did the spell, and it didn't work. It didn't work on the second try either, or the third, or the fourth…

Merlin raised his eyebrows skeptically as he took a deep breath. "_Adfer i'r ffurflen gywir_!" said Merlin firmly, raising his hand. Aaand…nothing happened. What a surprise. Merlin let out a harsh sigh, startling Gwaine out of his idle state.

"You know," Gwaine said, blinking. "I've always thought Uther was a bit…toad-y. Maybe he just accidentally got turned into a person by a very foolish sorcerer?"

Merlin sighed. "I've just been saying the spell wrong, Gwaine. I'll get it eventually; this has happened before." Merlin told him, remembering his first few weeks as Arthur's manservant and all the trouble surrounding them. Learning the spell to activate Lancelot's shield, and the spell to kill the griffon, had taken him ages. But then, he had just started learning magic. Now, he had years practice to go on. This spell really should have worked by now.

Gwaine straightened, eyes gleaming. "What, you turned Uther into a toad before?"

Merlin felt like banging his head on the table. As nice as it was to have one of his friends accept him for who he was, he was beginning to see how much trouble it was going to be for Gwaine to know about his magic. Merlin would probably have to turn _Gwaine_ into a toad, just to preserve his sanity. "No, Gwaine; I mean, I've had spells before that didn't work at first. And for the last time,_ I_ didn't turn Uther into a toad."

Gwaine grinned roguishly. "Maybe not, but it's fun to imagine anyway."

Merlin rolled his eyes before steeling himself again. "_Adfer i'r ffurflen gywir!" _he said, trying to say the vowels differently. Still nothing.

"I'm afraid that Uther's just destined to remain a toad forever…" said Gwaine in a tragic voice. Merlin ignored him and tried the spell again. He wasn't expecting anything to happen, and so wasn't even paying attention when suddenly his eyes flashed gold and a bright light erupted from where Uther was sitting.

"Gwaine, get back!" Merlin shouted, jumping up from his chair. He watched as the light faded and in the toad's place stood a wobbly Uther Pendragon. He seemed to gather himself for a moment before he glared murderously at Merlin. "YOU –"

Merlin interrupted the king before this turned into a shouting match. "_Swefnu_! Gwaine, catch him!" Uther toppled of the table as Merlin's sleep spell took effect.

Gwaine stood for a second too long as Uther hit the ground with a thud. "Oops."

Merlin pressed his hands against the side of his head, foreseeing a huge headache. "Gwaine –!"

Gwaine just shrugged. "His head is harder than a rock. I'm sure it's fine."

Shaking his head, Merlin grabbed the potion he had prepared beforehand. It was supposed to erase Uther's memories of today. Apparently altering one's memory was very difficult if you wanted to erase all traces of something or someone; however, simply taking away all the events of a day was easy. If a lump of wood can do it, then a simple potion should be able to.

After they trickled the clear liquid down Uther's throat, Merlin and Gwaine straightened and looked at the door. Merlin was beginning to see a problem they hadn't thought of.

"Merlin…" said Gwaine slowly. "How are we going to get Uther from here to his chambers?"

* * *

Arthur felt like he was being dragged along, his feet working without his acknowledgment. Or like he was sinking into the ground, being swallowed by the earth and not bothering to do anything about it. Watching a storm come sweeping up and simply doing that, watching.

His father was missing, and there was hardly anything he could do about it. Send out search parties? Sure, he could do that. He could search the entire castle, all of the city, all of the forest nearby. But it wouldn't do any good, it never did; the king would not be found until his kidnappers wanted him to be.

After seeing off the search parties, Arthur strode back to the castle to find his useless servant. It was a habit of his (a bad one) to take Merlin with him whenever he left the castle, and it seemed that if Arthur didn't tell him to come, Merlin would end up joining him anyway. Arthur smiled slightly, despite the situation, remembering his quest to retrieve the Fisher King's trident.

As Arthur walked through the courtyard, he noticed the many civilians standing around. They must have heard word of what had happened. Arthur avoided their gazes; he normally wasn't self-conscious, but the stares seemed accusatory today. Arthur glanced up as he reached the steps and involuntarily met the eyes of a red-headed woman standing of to the side. She tilted her head slightly, frowning, as Arthur broke away and pounded up the steps.

Arthur squared his shoulders as he entered the castle and started on his way to Gaius' chambers, hoping he could find Merlin there, with a scowl on his face.

As he rounded a corner of the endless corridors of the castle, he nearly tripped over Merlin and Gwaine as they dragged a limp Uther down the hall.

Merlin turned around impatiently before seeing Arthur. Upon which, he plastered an 'I'm all innocent' grin on his face that looked more like a grimace.

"Arthur!" said Merlin, glancing back at his grip on Uther's arm, which he quickly dropped. "I – uh – we found him!"

Arthur felt like his eyes were about to pop out. "What are you _doing_?"

Gwaine looked down at the unconscious Uther. "What does it look like we're doing?"

Arthur gaped at him. God, Gwaine could be an idiot sometimes. "Where did you find him? What happened?"

After extracting a very fake explanation from Merlin and Gwaine about finding Uther in the dungeons, Arthur sent Merlin to bring the guards. Arthur glared at Gwaine as the silence lengthened. He and Merlin were not getting away with this.

* * *

After finally escaping Arthur, Merlin and Gwaine dragged themselves back to Gaius' chambers. It was still empty, thankfully; Merlin wasn't in the mood for any more explanations.

Gwaine looked over to Merlin as he closed the door. "So what now?"

Merlin sighed. "I still have to find all of the enchantments all over the castle and un-do them before anyone notices. Which I seriously doubt is possible."

Gwaine grinned. "Don't worry; I'm sure the all-powerful Merlin can struggle through somehow. How can I help?"

"I don't know. It'll be dangerous for you to be there…" The last thing Merlin wanted was for Gwaine to get hurt. Merlin might have been able to hold his own against all these enchantments, but Gwaine?

Gwaine rolled his eyes at Merlin's worried look. "Merlin, I believe this is the third time today that I've reminded you that I am a knight."

Merlin sighed, knowing a hopeless battle when he saw one. "Yeah, yeah; I'm not even going to try to argue. Let's go before I fall asleep."

"No need."

A voice rang out clearly from behind them. Standing at the foot of the stairs to Merlin's room was a cloaked figure. As Merlin and Gwaine turned to look at it, the figure raised an arm and pulled its hood down. A woman's face was revealed. Her flowing red hair tumbled out from underneath the hood as she stepped forward.

Merlin held back a groan. _What now?_

The woman smiled humorlessly. "Hello, Emrys," she said coolly. "Let's talk, shall we?"

* * *

**So…I actually don't like this chapter at all. I just feel like…well, like it sucks. *shrugs* Oh well. **

**Please leave a review! Tell me if you liked it, or didn't like it, or whatever you want! I want to hear from you! The next chapter will DEFINETLY be up by Friday. Possibly sooner. School starts in a week and I am very busy in my last week of summer….**

**Until next time! Bye! ~whatswiththemustache**


	7. Threat Hanging

**Yo people! Sorry it's been a few days…but I'm updating before I said I would! So that's good right? I've just been distracted a bit. It's a bit of a long story, but you can hear it all if you check out the one-shot that I posted here! It's called 'Who Am I Living For?' and I, for one, LOVE it. The idea sort of attacked me day before yesterday and I could not help but succumb… **

**But anyway! Enough self-promotion, and on to the story. This chapter isn't quite as happy-go-lucky as the others. We're nearing the end now, guys – and don't give me the dirty looks please. I was planning on making this a one-shot at first, remember? So I think I did pretty well. **

**Disclaimer: Nope, I'm afraid I don't own Merlin. Neither do I own anyone from Merlin. I also do not own BBC. I could list a lot of other things that I do not own, but let's just go with this: I got nothing. **

Arthur was relieved beyond words.

His father was all right. Safe, uninjured; unconscious, but soon to wake.

Arthur was still skeptical about Merlin and Gwaine's story, but he wasn't about to go blaming them for anything. Uther was only safe because of them. However, he would like to know the truth.

Arthur shifted slightly in his seat by his father's bed. Arthur was not going to move, not until the king woke. Not until he knew that everything was alright, with no remaining doubt.

But what Arthur didn't know was that nothing was alright, and that Uther wasn't the problem.

Behind him, Uther's sword lay on the table, the blade only halfway in the scabbard.

Silently, the fine sword slid free of the sheath. It rose up above, spinning through the air. The fading sunlight streaming through the window glinted sharply against the shiny metal. Arthur didn't hear the slight whistling as it whipped about, nor did he notice the flecks of light reflecting around the room.

The blade drifted to a stop just behind Arthur, the tip aiming effortlessly at his back.

Arthur didn't notice a thing.

* * *

The sorceress wasn't particularly impressed with Gwaine's brave but pointless attempt as the knight drew his sword with a metallic screech. She simply turned to look at him, her eyes flashing gold, and watched as he was thrust roughly against the far war. Merlin sent him a worried look, but Gwaine just smiled reassuringly, shrugging. _My fault, _he seemed to say. Satisfied that his friend was okay, Merlin turned his attention back to the woman.

The red headed sorceress looked Merlin straight in the eyes, staring into them like they were the answer to a well-kept secret. Merlin didn't look away, despite how unsettling her deep green eyes were. They reminded him too much of Morgana.

Finally, she relented in her hard stare. "And I expected so much more…" she laughed loftily.

Merlin tightened his jaw. "Did you?" He said sarcastically. He sighed, shaking his head ever so slightly. He could just _see_ how this was going to end. Another battle, right in the middle of Camelot. Which, of course, would involve Merlin hitting his head against something – probably a wall. Wasn't that _always _how these things turned out?

"Who are you?" Merlin tried, he really did, to not sound bored. It probably didn't work.

The woman scowled, tossing back her vivid hair. "I believe you met my father earlier today?" Merlin noticed the slight glimpse of pain in her eyes before they hardened once more. "My name is Eyola. I was once a druid…no longer, but I have their training. And I heard their _stories_. Just like I heard about _you_, Emrys."

Gwaine had seemed to have fallen out of the loop sometime in the last few seconds. Merlin wasn't really relieved to have him jump back in. Gwaine frowned at Eyola for a moment, then turned to Merlin as if there wasn't a sorceress standing right there in the middle of Gaius' chambers. "Merlin, have you changed your name recently?"

Merlin felt like slapping his forehead, or possibly Gwaine's. He glared pointedly at Gwaine for a moment, who thankfully got the message. Merlin turned back to Eyola. "Yeah, I know the drill. You're disappointed in me because I didn't do anything to stop the Purge, because I'm not trying to dethrone Uther and forcibly return magic to Camelot. You think that you can change everything yourself."

Eyola looked affronted, and then even more angry than before. "You do not even try to deny your crimes against your own people?"

Merlin ignored that last comment. He could never help feeling guilty, just a bit, for everything that had happened and was still happening, the things that he _could_ end. _Not your fault; not your fault._ He could feel Gwaine's concerned gaze on him, but didn't turn.

"But what I _don't_ understand is why you decided to try and change the future of Camelot and Albion by placing a bunch of annoying, but relatively harmless enchantments all over the castle." Merlin tilted his head, eyebrows raised. This was a question he had been yearning to know the answer of. Something had seemed off from the very beginning; he just couldn't put his finger on it.

Eyola stared at him for a long moment, then barked out a quiet laugh. Merlin frowned; funny probably didn't mean good.

"You care too much, Emrys," Eyola sneered. "You care for every detail, trying to mend all the holes at the same time. You don't see the big picture when it comes to the safety of dear _Camelot_. And when it is the lives of so many innocent people at stake, you ignore them and think of your _big picture_. It shows just the traitor you are…believe me, I am tempted to simply finish this now and smash your_ glittering_ vision of the future."

Merlin raised his eyebrows skeptically. Eyola really seemed to think she was powerful, didn't she? Merlin could feel sense her magic – it was stronger than the average sorcerer, but still much less than his. "I think you're forgetting exactly who you're dealing with, Eyola," said Merlin slowly. "There really isn't any way you could beat me."

Eyola smiled slowly, shaking her head. Yes, she knew that she couldn't beat Merlin. So why –

"_You're_ the one forgetting, Emrys," Eyola smiled gleefully. "It does not take much to beat you, does it? Because you're forgetting – your destiny of bringing about the time of Albion –" here she snorted in disbelief – "is not just _your_ destiny. _You_ are not the one I need to kill."

Merlin felt like someone had dropped a bucket of ice into his stomach. _Of course._

_How_ could he have been so stupid? All these enchantments thrown randomly about the castle – they had been distractions to him, only distractions. Because that's all they were meant to be. _Distractions._ Drawing him away from the bigger picture – Arthur.

Trying to remember to breathe, he glared at Eyola. "What did you do?"

Eyola tossed her hair back, raising her chin. She seemed to like doing that a bit. "It's not really what I have done…it's what I will do. And I wouldn't go killing me, if I were you…the spell that I used on your precious prince is a very special one. My death will not break it. Only I can do that."

"Then _break_ it," growled Merlin.

"I'll only break it if you promise me something."

Eyes narrowed, Merlin nodded slightly to indicate for her to elaborate. "Your excuse for all that you have done is that the 'Once and Future King' must be ready before he learns the truth. So, I'll give you one year. One year to bring magic back to Camelot and to dethrone the tyrant. If you promise me this, I will break the spell. If not, Arthur Pendragon will die today and then, only one will be left to take the throne."

Merlin's frown only deepened. "Morgana," he said quietly. "But you're not doing this for her, I can tell."

Eyola scowled. "I am doing this because it is the only thing I can do. Too many have suffered. I am ensuring that they will only have to endure one more year…or that it ends today." She raised an eyebrow coolly. "So…do you accept?"

Merlin took a deep breath. He wouldn't lie to her, but he _had_ to keep Arthur safe. "…I promise you that one day, Arthur will be king and he will see the truth. I promise that one day the laws will be changed. But…I can't promise you that that day will come in just a year." Merlin tried to make her hear his words. "You have to understand. Arthur has to learn on his _own_ that magic is not good or evil. He's been taught all his life that magic is evil, that magic corrupts, that magic only brings harm. I can't just _tell_ him that I'm a sorcerer, and expect him to understand. If – " Eyola interrupted him without waiting to hear the explanation.

"You can't?" Eyola smiled as if she had been hoping that Merlin would say that. "Well, that certainly is _too_ bad for the Prince."

Merlin jumped forward, but he was too slow. Without pausing for breath, Eyola's eyes burned gold as she shouted a single word Merlin didn't hear over his shout. "_No!_"

A panic settled over Merlin in the few seconds that followed before Gwaine jumped in front of him, eying the sorceress who was now standing still, eyes closed. "Go! Get to Arthur!"

Merlin nodded, not waiting to see what Gwaine would do. He tried to let his magic spread across the castle, frantically searching for Arthur's presence. _Uther's chambers_. He would be there.

* * *

As time progressed, Arthur felt an uneasy feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. There was no reason for it, yet it didn't fade. He really hoped that he wasn't developing one of Merlin's 'funny feelings.

Of course, nearly all of the times Merlin had a funny feeling, it would end with something not so good happening.

But that didn't mean that there was anything wrong now. He was just worried about his father. But, really, there was no reason to be worried – the king was going to be fine. He was just asleep.

Arthur glanced at the door restlessly. He felt like getting up and pacing.

_I am _not _going to pace. _

Just as Arthur was rubbing his forehead uneasily, feeling like he would be able to sit still for not one more second, he heard a metallic ring from behind him.

Arthur leaped up to see his father's sword levitating horizontally, the tip pointing ominously at him. Arthur swiftly drew his sword._ Sorcery. _Not letting his gaze leave the sword, Arthur shouted urgently. "Guards!"

The enchanted sword flew at Arthur unswervingly until he knocked it off course with his own. The sword drew back before attacking once more, swinging at his chest. Arthur blocked again, wondering _why_ it was taking the guards so long to get in here. "Guards!" He shouted frantically. "Hurry!"

The door remained closed, and Arthur heard nothing from outside. No one was coming.

It seemed to last for hours, although Arthur was sure the battle took no more than a minute or so. Arthur was an excellent swordsman, but fighting this was almost impossible. With no one wielding the sword, Arthur couldn't predict where the sword would strike next. Each of his blocks came slower and slower, and he didn't even try to make a strike of his own. What was the point? No one was there to take the wound.

Finally, the cursed sword slammed into the base of Arthur's blade, and his sword spun out of his fingertips.

The king's sword slowed, jerking to a halt with the tip once again pointing at Arthur. This time, Arthur couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't even jump out of the way as the enchanted blade flew forward with nothing to block it – heading straight for him.

* * *

**Dun-dun-DUN! **

***waves white flag* Seriously, guys, I don't plan these things. They just happen. So don't start throwing potatoes, please! **

**Sorry, but this time you're going to have to wait a bit longer for the next update. I believe that this next one will be the last – not entirely sure though, as I didn't write it yet. But you'll find out in roughly a week! **

**Please review and tell me what you think! See you next week…**


	8. Resolved

**A/N at the end...because I really don't have time right now. LOL the horrors of school, yeah? **

* * *

The doors to the king's chambers finally sprang up in front of Merlin, seeming to soon and far too late at the same time. He could hear a muffled clanging coming from inside - the sounds of swords clashing - and the two guards stationed beside the doors were slumped on the ground, unconscious.

Merlin grappled for the door handle, his hands shaking far too much for him to grab it firmly. After a few seconds of his fumbling - although to Merlin, it felt like hours - he hastily let go, letting his magic complete the task for him.

Merlin's eyes flashed bright gold, and the doors burst open, but not before Merlin heard a dull crash from within the room. As Merlin's panic only greatened, he felt his magic shoot out to envelop the room, escaping from the tight grip he usually kept on it. Merlin really couldn't be bothered to care. Only one thought pulsated through his mind: _Arthur_.

Merlin skidded to a stop inside the room, looking almost automatically towards Uther's bed.

On the far side of it, with his back to Merlin, stood Arthur.

On the floor far enough away so that it was in Merlin's line of sight was a glowing sword, its light quickly diminishing. It wasn't too bright for Merlin to see that the blade was not silver, but red.

Merlin watched, horrified beyond comprehension, as Arthur fell stiffly to his knees.

Even from where he stood, Merlin could see the pool of dark blood slowly growing on the floor.

_"Arthur_!"

* * *

Arthur was too stunned to move, so he didn't.

But someone else did. Arthur was shoved to the side, out of the sword's range, just as it darted forward where he had been standing. There in Arthur's place was a frantic-eyed Uther.

Uther's momentum almost carried him out of the swords way - almost. Arthur watched uncomprehendingly as Uther gasped in pain, the sword slashing across the king's arm. Uther slumped to the ground at Arthur's  
feet just as Arthur distantly heard the doors to the king's chambers slam open. He didn't turn to look, instead staring horrified at his father.

Arthur fell stiffly to his knees, staring shocked at the thick blood gushing out of Uther's arm. "...no, _Father_," he mumbled.

Behind him, a voice shouted out, startling him from his stupor. "Arthur!" _Right, Arthur, wake up_!

Arthur hastily ripped his tunic off, glancing swiftly over his shoulder. The person was Merlin, and his eyes were dark with worry swiftly changing to bewilderment. He stared at Arthur in confusion as Arthur turned back to start tying his tunic tightly around Uther's bleeding arm. His father was unconscious, it seemed, which could be bador good.

Behind him, Merlin was gasping for breath. "...Arthur?"

Arthur didn't bother to look back, trying to stem the bleeding. The cut was obviously very deep. "What, Merlin? Are you just going to _stand_ there all day, then?"

"Are you hurt?" asked Merlin, still out of breath. Trust Merlin to always ask the least important question, at the worst possible time.

"No, Merlin, I'm fine, but as you probably haven't _noticed_ yet, the king is lying on the floor _bleeding out_. Maybe you should, I don't know, _get Gaius_?" Arthur knotted up his ruined tunic as best he could and then turned to look at his manservant...who was standing behind him, observing the scene, and smiling in obvious relief.

Arthur was momentarily speechless. "...why in the wide world are you _smiling?!"_

* * *

Merlin was running through the castle at break-neck speed for the...what was it, the sixth time today? No, it had to be more than that. Eighth? Ninth? It seemed that he'd spent all day running around doing incredibly annoying and endless tasks. Now, after literally bumping into Gaius and sending him to the king's chambers without muchof an explanation, he really needed to get back to Gwaine and the sorceress. Who knew what was going on there? Merlin felt really bad about leaving him now, but at that moment he had had slightly higher priorities...

As Merlin thundered around a corner, he nearly crashed head-on into a maid-servant carrying a basket full of laundry. Instead, Merlin steered himself out the way partially, ending up getting his feet entangled in the maid's long skirts. They both went down hard, with the basket getting upended somewhere along the way and dumping all the laundry all over them.

Merlin ended up falling flat on his back, head falling heavily against the hard stone floor.

As Merlin apologized profusely and hastily began gathering up the laundry, he wondered idly if he might make it to tomorrow with nothing less than a severe concussion. At this rate, he sure wasn't going to struggle through with just a rather large bump on the head for his trouble.

When Merlin finally reached Gaius' chambers, head throbbing painfully, he found Gwaine standing uneasily over Eyola's motionless form. His stomach clenched at the implications. Surely, Gwaine wouldn't...

Gwaine looked up sharply at the sound of the door creaking open. "Merlin!" Gwaine exclaimed, his face breaking into an easy grin. "I was wondering when you'd get here. Not sure I could handle this one all on my own..." Gwaine frowned slightly. "Is Arthur alright?"

Merlin nodded as he walked uneasily over to Gwaine, looking down at Eyola. Her red hair was splayed out around her head in a fiery halo, and her long cloak was twisted around her boot-clad feet from when she fell. Merlin smiled sadly as he saw her peaceful expression that took the place of her original fierce one. "What happened?"

"Well, when you left she stood like she was, all still and meditating-like, for a while. I didn't want to trigger her or anything, as I'm not exactly the expert in magical threats," Gwaine said pointedly. "But then she started to laugh  
and then kept saying _'yes, yes!_' and I figured that that probably wasn't a good thing for you, so I bashed her over the head. And...she's been like this since."

Merlin nodded wearily, rubbing the back of his head absent-mindedly. "I'm really not sure of what we should do now. I would like to get her away from Camelot, but that would be impossible. And we can't just wait here..."

Merlin drifted to a halt as he saw Eyola begin to stir slightly. Gwaine cleared his throat, stepping back. "Don't worry, looks like we won't have to..."

Eyola brought a hand to her face slowly, then visibly stiffened as she must be remembering what had happened. She jerked upright and glared menacingly at Merlin and Gwaine who stood a few feet away. "My spell...you broke my spell!"

Merlin couldn't help but roll his eyes at her obvious statement, and at the disbelief emanating from it. Why was it always so hard to believe? Yes, he had magic; yes, he was Emrys; yes, he was actually rather powerful, too. "Yeah, I did, didn't I? Well, that could be beginners luck...or maybe it could be because I am Emrys, after all. What exactly makes you think that you're more powerful than I am?" said Merlin sarcastically, scowling at the sorceress sitting uneasily on the ground before him.

Eyola stared at him for a moment, seemingly breathless...but not for long. "You can't have harnessed your full power yet; that's impossible. You haven't had any proper training. How could you..."

"And yet," Gwaine spoke up cheerfully, "He still did defeat you and save Arthur, even without his full power and 'proper training'. So...what exactly does _that_ tell you?" Gwaine raised his eyebrows pointedly, placing a hand on the pommel of his sword. Merlin felt a surge of gratitude for his ever-faithful friend. He only hoped that his other friends would be so allowing with him when they found out...if they found out.

Eyola suddenly scrambled up from the ground as if she had just realized where she was: at Merlin's feet. She stood quickly, drawing herself up tall as she gazed imposingly at them. Her face was once again twisted into a scowl. "I have misjudged you," she informed them coldly. "But I will not do so again. I will be back, and when I am...I will leave with the Pendragons dead and your destiny destroyed." With that, she threw something to the ground at her feet. A bright orange fire roared up around her, and when they faded she was gone. All that Merlin was left with was a parting image of Eyola's eyes, burning with determination before they disappeared in the hungry flames.

* * *

With all the excitement of the magical sword and the King's injury, things didn't settle down for the residents of the castle until late that night. Merlin at last found himself in Arthur's chambers, preparing the prince for bed. Merlin's head was really aching now - he was going to be terribly sore tomorrow - and he couldn't be bothered to try and concentrate on whatever Arthur was talking about. Probably something boring and prattish. Merlin performed his chores in silence as Arthur went droning on.

"...obviously, but I have no idea where they went. Maybe you could do something about it tomorrow - Merlin, are you even _listening_ to me?"

Merlin jumped, looking up at Arthur, who had his hands on his hips and was giving him a patronizing look. "Mmm, yeah, word for word," Merlin said brightly.

Arthur raised his eyebrows. "Really? What was I just saying then?"

Merlin faltered for only a moment. "You were ranting on about how I have another thing to do tomorrow, just to top of the leaning tower of chores I already have," said Merlin. He watched as Arthur visibly tried to keep from smiling, and visibly failed.

"You didn't hear a word I said."

"Oh no, I was listening intently. It was so_ very_ interesting, too."

Arthur made a mock-incredulous face at Merlin's cheek. It really was to be expected. Merlin didn't live a day in which he didn't 'disrespect' Arthur in some way. But, he knew that Arthur didn't really mind.

Merlin turned again to hide his own knowing grin. Here came the Prince Prat.

"Oh really? Well, I'm glad that you're so wide awake, then. Maybe, since you're so alert, tomorrow we can do something that requires it? Oh, I know...Tomorrow, we can go _hunting_!"

And with that, Merlin decided officially that today may actually have been the worst day of his life.

* * *

**So...done! The End! Yeah wow time sure flies right? I actually never expected to be done so fast, but that's a good thing really because..school started for me today! Yay right? LOL So I really would've been off on the updating if I hadn't finished it today. So...good! **

**And...yeah, I know. This ending practically screams sequel. And, I will do one...eventually. But THIS time, I'm actually going to PLAN it. Instead of like Bad Day where I basically wrote whatever came to my mind at the time. But, I also have another idea nagging at the back of my mind so...we'll see. Keep a weather eye on the horizon...**

**And that's basically it! Thanks for reading, guys! I LOVE all the reviews, favs and follows. I NEVER EXPECTED TO GET SO MANY. So thanks a ton to you all! And, just cause the story is over doesn't mean that it can't get reviews...*hint hint***

**Thank you! Please review! And...yeah!**

**~whatswiththemustache**


End file.
